-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Alicia Azzopardi was laid off just before Christmas . It could n't have happened at a better time .

Trent Vondrasek , who went from the auto industry to an unpaid internship , poses with his children .

`` I was so upset when I left my job , '' said Azzopardi . `` I was crying , and I just did n't know what to do . ''

The same week that she got laid off , Michigan State University accepted her into its accelerated nursing program . Even better , she learned she qualified for a grant from the Michigan Nursing Corps . The state-funded initiative , which provides her with a $ 25,000 stipend , is addressing Michigan 's nursing shortage in part by rewarding workers who have been laid off .

`` My tuition is pretty much 100 percent paid for , and I do n't take that lightly , '' said Azzopardi , 28 , who has a background in business and sales .

While trying to survive in the state with the highest unemployment rate in the nation , Azzopardi and others are taking advantage of their job losses by pursuing careers they 've always wanted .

Michigan 's 14.1 percent unemployment in May towers above the national average of 9.5 percent , according to U.S. Department of Labor statistics for June .

`` It 's a really hard thing to change careers when you did n't want to , '' said Martha Mangelsdorf , author of `` Strategies for Successful Career Change . '' But starting over at an older age carries less of a stigma than it once did .

`` It 's not like the 1950s where people started with one company and stayed there for the rest of their working career , '' Mangelsdorf said .

The oldest intern

For Trent Vondrasek , 42 , chasing the dream translated to becoming the oldest intern at the Lansing , Michigan , mayor 's office , after he lost his job in October as a consultant for General Motors .

But the father of three had found himself hobbled by a major career decision in his 20s that continues to plague him . He quit college to take a sales job for an auto supplier .

`` One of the mitigating factors -LSB- potential employers -RSB- are looking for is , do you have a college degree ? And I do n't have one . Even though I 've got 18 years ' experience , I 'm not even considered , '' said Vondrasek .

Now , Vondrasek is trying to break into politics , but has found that he has to make his way up the ladder . As an unpaid intern , his peers were about half his age . He also was older than some of his superiors .

`` I learned a lot from them , and I think they learned some things from me also , '' Vondrasek said of the other interns . `` Because of my sales experience , I 'm used to dealing with people . ''

Vondrasek highlighted one episode of his new career that he said brought him exceptional job satisfaction . He helped protect a woman from losing her electricity and from a mortgage company that was threatening to foreclose on her home .

The woman had complained that agencies would not return her calls . Vondrasek used his influence and links to the mayor 's office to talk with the agencies .

Vondrasek also studies political science at Lansing Community College . He 's paying tuition out of his own pocket , which is a challenge as his family tightens its belt .

`` I fully realize that by going into public service , I 'm not going to be financially as sound as I was in the automotive industry , because I got paid extremely well for what I did , '' he said . `` But if I can get more self-satisfaction out of it and be prouder of what I 'm doing on a day-to-day basis , then for me , that 's a win . ''

Still , Vondrasek said , he probably would not have taken this route if he had not been laid off .

Volunteering and pursuing avenues where you excel , like Vondrasek did , can help career-changers make the best of the situation , said Mary Beth Sammons , author of `` Second Acts that Change Lives : Making a Difference in the World . ''

`` This is an opportunity to look where your heart is and to follow your passions , '' she said .

Sammons has her own story to tell . Based in Chicago , Illinois , with a journalism background , she began writing her book last fall after losing her job as vice president of a Web site for people facing health crises .

`` I had already done the second act , taking my journalism skills and putting them in a place I thought was meaningful -- helping people that were sick and dying , '' said Sammons , 52 . `` I suddenly realized I had to create another act for myself . ''

Her next personal chapter became writing about people who reinvented themselves .

How to manage a successful career change

For those looking for a change in direction , here are several resources that might ease the transition :

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Some people make the most of a job loss by pursuing careers they 've always wanted

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A Michigan program helps fund a woman 's nursing education after job loss

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Former GM employee becomes the oldest intern at a mayor 's office

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Several government Web sites can help you change careers , fund education